Machine for cutting files



2 'Sheetssheen 1.

H. HQTCHKISS. MAUHINB Pon OUTTING FILES.

No. 13,310. Patented July 24, 1855.

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

No. 13,310. Y Patented July 24,1855.

jZy--Jr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE HOTOHKISS, OF VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING FILES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 13,310, dated July 24, 1855.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I HORACE HoTcHKIss, of lVaterbury, Connecticut, United States of America, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Files; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof,- reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

In this machine the bed on which the blank which is to be cut into a file is made capable of sliding and also of turning on an axis, thus allowing of the blank in the transverse cut being varied in its angular position while the line of action of the hammer and cutter is retained. The blank which is to be formed into a file is held on to the ,bed by means of a lever acted on by a spring which keeps down a friction roller on the blank an inclined plate is pressed by a screw against the point of the blank by which the tang is pressed into a slot fitted to receive it, and at the same time the blank is pressed on to the table, allowing for t-he increased length consequent on cutting the blank into a file. The cutter is formed with a slot into or thro-ugh it, through which a pin passes. A bent spring presses against the surface of the cutter and retains it against the end of the slide and yet allows the cutter to move freely when placed on to the blank so that it may take its place correctly before being struck by the hammer. The slide (against the end of which the cutter is pressed) is kept in position by a lever. The cutter holder is an arm which moves on an axis and the holder may be adjusted by raising its axis so as to hold the cutter to any desired inclination, and the hammer is also capable of adjustment so as to accommodate its line of action to theposition of the cutter, or the cutter holder may be a slide in the direction of the hammer and the cutter held by a pin or pins and spring. The cutter is controlled by the action of al cam and spring so as to be adapted to or set on the surface of the blank while the hammer is suspended and the feed motion is at rest. The blow of the hammer also is given when the feed motion is at rest. The action or force of the hammer is caused by a spring which is controlled by combined levers acted on by a pattern suitable for the form of file which is being cut which controls or regulates the force of the spring for the time being acting on the hammer. Thus the action of the hammer is greater or less depending on the pattern.

Description of the drawing- Figure l shows a front elevation of this machine. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the machine.

a a is the framing, the nature of which is clearly shown in the drawing, Z) is a bed on which the blank is held which is to be cut into a file. This bed has the capability of being slid on the lower or rotating partof the bed Z2, such lower part having dovetail guides7 as shown, between which the upper partof the bed is slid, and one of the dovetail guides is adjustable by means of the screws c c. The lower half of the heel o is capable of rotatory movement on the bed plate at (Z, where it may be retained in any position by the set screws cl', and the bed Z) is slid intermittently along by means of the following apparatus: c is a lever moving on an axis e and it receives motion from an eccentric e2 on the axis f, which receives motion by a strap from a steam engine or other power acting on the drum g fixed on the Iaxis f. The lever c by a connecting rod e3 raises the arm c4 fixed on the axis c5, on which there is also fixed another arm e6 which carries the driver c7, which taking in succession against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 7L fixed on the screw 7L drives that screw around and by reason of the screw passing through a screw nut and bevel wheel h2 revolving in a bracket fixed to the side of the bed ZJ that part of the bed is moved along the lower part of the bed b so as to present the blank to be cut by the cutter as hereafter explained. es is a spring which brings back the driver e7 and when the bed Z) has traveled to its farthest position for cutting a file it is returned by the beveled toothed wheel h3 on the axis L* carried by the bed Z9 taking into the bevel wheel h2 on the traveling nut, the dog or catch h5 being removed from the teeth of the ratchet wheel la fixed on the axis h4, motion being given to the axis it* by the crank handle if, by which the bevel wheel and nut h2 will be caused to travel on the screw 7L and carry the bed back to the original position or starting point.

The blank to be cut into a file is to be placed on the upper surface of the bed Z), as shown at z'. The tang end ofthe blank passes through a slot formed in the projection z" and the other end of the blank is passed under an inclined plate pressed up by a screw j and the blank is pressed on by means of a lever 7c and spring c; the spring having a roller at. its end under which the blank is moved, but is kept pressed to the bed by the spring and lever.

Z is the cutter, which has a slot. through it, into which a pin on the holder passes and upon which the cutter may move as a center and thus insure its edge being placed on a level with the surface of the blank, and there are other projections on the holder which act as guides to the surface of the cutter, and the slot in the cutter admits of a slight endwise movement, or in place of having' a slot in the cutter it may have a projection to enter a slot formed in the holder.

Z is a bentI spring carried by the holder, which presses against the surface of the cutter and retains it correctly against the end of the slide and yet allows the cutter to move freely when placed on to the blank so that it may take its place correctly before being struck by the hammer.

On the bed b is placed a pattern m, there being holes in the bed and studs on the underside of the pattern, which is on its upper surface of similar contour to the blank which is to be cut, and it is by means of this pattern that the blow of the hammer 79 is regulated or controlled according to the tension put on the spring g, which is constantly borne down by the spring 7 acting on a pin on the hammer to force the hammer down upon the cutter, and the tension on the spring g is increased or decreased by the elevation or depression of the surface of the pattern, which by moving with the bed acts on the truck or roller g, which gives motion to the lever g2 supported by the bracket Q3, the other end of the lever Q2 acting on the link g4 to pull down or to release the cranked lever g5 to which the spring Q is aflixed, the lever moving on a pin y xed to the framing of the machine. The cutter as carried by the frame n n, which slides in the guides 1n n and is constantly pressed downward by the spring n2 and this frame is raised by means of the cam o, which raises the frame each revolution of the main or driving axis, which movementupward takes place just before the bed b is slid a short distance so as to bring up a fresh surface of the blank to receive a cut when the cam 0 again allows the frame n n to descend in order that the cutter may come again on the blank and be ready to receive t-he blow of the hammer 29 which slides in guides n n. The hammer p is raised by the cam r on the main or driving shaft and this cam allows the hammer to descend soon after the cutter has been allowed to descend by its arm on to the pattern. The` inclination of the cutter and hammer is regulated by means of the frame s which carries the guides n. rlhe two sides of the frame s have slots s formed in them, through which the screws s2 pass and screw into the top framing a. Hence it will be readily understood that the hammer and cutter may loe made to assume any desired angle.

Fig. 4L shows an arrangement where the cutter holder is carried by an arm which moves on an a-Xis which may be raised and adjusted by the slotted bracket t so as to vary the inclination of the cutter. This figure also shows the cutter acted upon by a slide with pins which are retained'in position by the lever u and spring catch u', as shown. v is a spring to bring the holder back.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. Supporting the tile-blank upon a compound carriage having both a rotary and lateral adjustment horizontally while the cutter is adjusted only in a plane passing through the apex of the cutter and bisecting its edge, and is at the same time perpendicular to the edge of the cutter and to the plane of the ile carriage.

2. I also claim placing the cutter in line with the hammer and in the same adjustable frame therewith so that when the position of the cutter is changed by an adjustmentof this frame, t-he hammer shall also be adjusted by the same operation to conform to the position of the cutter.

HORACE HOTCHKISS. l/Vitnesses z CHARLES COLLINS, JOHN BLOODWORTH. 

